In the late 1960s, Fiona my wife, who was in her last year at school, got into a heated exchange with another girl, when a small corridor window was broken.

The girl reported Fiona to the deputy headmistress, Miss Townsend, who told the girl she wanted to see Fiona at 4pm.

At 4pm Fiona walked down the corridor to Miss Townsend’s classroom and,

looking in, saw the deputy headmistress sitting at her desk writing.

Fiona adjusted her school uniform,

which consisted of a white shirt and tie,

a navy blue pleated wrap over skirt, quite short,

white knee length socks,

black shoes

and her hair was tied up in two pigtails, she then knocked on the door.

Miss Townsend waited a few moments, then shouted

“come in”

Fiona entered and waited in front of the deputy headmistress’s desk.

Miss Townsend wasn’t very tall, but was quite a plump woman with short wavy hair sat at her desk writing while Fiona stood waiting in front of her desk.

After a few minutes she finished off what she was writing and looked up at Fiona, asking what she thought she’d been playing at, but as Fiona started to explain she was cut off in mid-sentence.

Miss Townsend didn’t want to know, then told Fiona to stand up properly and started what would be a long lecture.

Fiona thought “how boring, I wonder how much longer she’ll be droning on?”

Fiona’s friend was now in the corridor looking in out of view of the deputy headmistress.

Miss Townsend, then told Fiona she was going to give her a slippering and fetched out an exercise book and while entering all the details she told Fiona to fetch a chair from the back of the room.

The chair was placed in front of the deputy headmistress’s desk and Fiona waited while Miss Townsend finished writing, attempting to see what was being written, with little success.

Miss Townsend replaced the book, picked up a set of keys and walked to a cupboard, unlocked it and fetched a slipper from the top shelf.

Fiona was worried now as Miss Townsend demonstrated how flexible the slipper was.

It was one of the deputy headmistress’s discarded slippers with a very well worn rubber sole and a pink canvas upper,

Miss Townsend couldn’t contain her obvious pleasure at tantalizing Fiona by waving the slipper in front of her face,

unable to contain the smirk all over her face, as she calmly lectured her.

Miss Townsend then told Fiona to bend over the chair.

When Fiona had originally fetched the chair she wondered whether she’d have to bend over the back or seat of the chair,

but Miss Townsend made it abundantly clear she wanted her bent over the chair seat.

She was made to arch her back and told her to keep still or she would get an extra stroke,

this certainly had the effect of keeping her still and gripping the chair legs tightly.

then the deputy headmistress placed her hand in the small of Fiona’s back and she felt the slipper tap her bottom,

Fiona’s friend was doubled up laughing at her,

Fiona was quietly laughing back trying to give the impression she wasn’t bothered until Miss Townsend raised the slipper and brought it down with a whack that echoed around the room,

Fiona jumped and dropped her head, gripping the chair legs tighter.

Miss Townsend then raised the slipper and brought it down a second time with a loud whack,

Fiona jumped which caused her skirt to fall into place,

much to the annoyance of the deputy headmistress,

as she got back into position,

Fiona was told to arch her back more,

then her skirt was lifted and folded,

a few taps on the bottom then the third and final whack,

that almost made Fiona stand up.

“You may go” came the deputy headmistress’s next words.

So Fiona didn’t hang around, leaving the room and rubbing her bottom, telling her friend how much it had hurt her.

Sitting down afterward was very uncomfortable as three very angry red slipper sole imprints was plainly visible on her bottom,